


i don't want anything from anyone else

by orphan_account



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Christmas Party, Fluff, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:58:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Was it to cheesy to buy your boss a tie? It felt a little like a gift Patrick would buy for his Dad. Maybe it would be better if he got a fun one with Christmas trees on it or one that lit up, Patrick felt that Pete would probably appreciate that.Office Secret Santa AU





	i don't want anything from anyone else

**Author's Note:**

> A short little one-shot to get myself into the Christmas mood. Unbetaed so sorry for any mistakes!  
> Disclaimer: I have never been to an office Christmas party so my only frame of reference is episodes from the Office

“Here Patrick, it’s your turn to pick one.” Joe said, shoving a basket with numbered pieces of paper in it under his nose. It was for the office’s annual Christmas secret santa. Patrick felt a little weird participating in it, he had only been hired a month earlier when the money in his bank account and the food in his panary had reached a dangerously low point. Joe, his roommate, had helped him out by putting a good word in for him at his office job, and yeah being a pencil pusher wasn't really were Patrick saw himself spending his time, but he really wasn't cut out for the whole ‘starving artist’ thing. Plus Joe had held down the job for almost two years and still managed to play music in his spare time.

“Um… do I have too?” Patrick asked, eyeing the basket cautiously. 

“Dude just pick one, it’s tradition!” Joe leaned down and lowered his voice.“Plus you can’t back out now, someone’s already picked you,” He said with a wink. 

“Ok, fine,” Patrick sighed as he reached into the basket and pulled a small scrap of paper with the number nine on it. Joe gave him a thumbs up when he saw. 

“Alright man, you got the boss.” 

Patrick didn’t know what to think of that. He’d only been here a short time but he had already come to the conclusion that his boss Mr. Wentz, or as he insisted people call him, Pete, was a little... quirky. He always rolled up his button down to reveal his large collection of tattoos, and as far as Patrick could tell never actually did anything that resembled work. Mostly Pete was either locked in his office, the muffled sounds of music seeping through the door, or meandering about talking to people at their desks about anything from the latest office gossip to the newest episode of The Bachelor. In fact as Patrick scanned the room he saw Pete leaning over the secretaries desk, Ryan, messing with his loose tie and chattering endlessly. 

Patrick gave Joe a skeptical look. “What should I get him?” 

“No idea dude, but the limit’s $20 dollars.” Joe said as he went back to his desk, leaving Patrick with a crumpled up piece of paper and no idea what to buy his boss. 

“Are bosses even supposed to participate in secret santa?” Patrick mumbled to himself as he pushed his cart through Target. He had come for groceries but so far the only thing in his cart was a pack of double stuffed oreos and granola bars. He had meandered over to the mens section and was eyeing the ties suspiciously . Was it to cheesy to buy your boss a tie? It felt a little like a gift Patrick would buy for his Dad. Maybe it would be better if he got a fun one with Christmas trees on it or one that lit up, Patrick felt that Pete would probably appreciate that. Patrick sighed, picked up a tie covered in reindeer with light up noises and threw it in his card. He looked at the sad contents of his basket and made his way to the produce aisle so he wouldn’t have to live off of Joe’s cheetos for the rest of the week. 

By the time the Christmas party rolls around Patrick almost forgets his present, only reminded when he spots Joe’s gift in his hand before they leave their apartment. He ran back to his room and searched until he found the tie crumpled under a pile of dirty laundry on the floor where he had never bothered to put it away when he had bought it a week earlier. It as still unwrapped. 

“Crap, Joe I forgot to wrap it!” Patrick called into the living room. “Do you have anything I could put it in?”

“Sorry dude, even I had to improvise.” Joe said as he came into to room holding up his own gift, which had been wrapped in newspaper and put in an old starbucks bag Joe had drawn the star of David on. “You know they should really call it a holiday party instead of a Christmas party, to be more inclusive and shit.” 

“Joe, focus, what am I going to wrap this in?” Patrick held up the tie, which looked a little pathetic after spending a week on the floor. 

“Chill man, you got Pete right? He always gets wasted at theses things, he won’t even notice.” 

Patrick was to relieved to think about the ethical implications of their boss getting smashed at work. 

They got there late after Patrick scrambled to put the tie in the first bag he saw, which happened to be the original target bag he got when he bought it. The party was already in full swing, someone had stung streamers from the ceiling and Mariah Carey was playing on a boombox in the corner. Joe made a beeline for the table with the snacks on it and Patrick mandered after him, unsure where to go. He hung out by the Christmas cookies and struck up conversation with Andy from, they are both drummers and Andy had good opinions about music. 

“Speaking of music, who picked this playlist?” 

“That be Brendon.” Andy gestered over toward the boombox, which Brendon was guarding with feverish determination from Ryan, who was trying to change the track from were it got stuck on Taylor Swift’s version of ‘Last Christmas’. Just then Pete came behind Andy and slapped him on the back. 

“What’s up dude, you like the sweet decorations? I put them up myself.” 

Patrick looked around at the hazardously placed Christmas bows and mistletoe hung up in almost every doorway. 

“It looks...good?” 

If Pete heard the hesitation in Patrick’s voice he didn’t show it. “Thanks!” 

“I’ve notice no one’s spiked the punch yet,” Andy gestured toward the large bowl of Kool-Aid on the table. “Its half way through the night, that has to be a new record.”

“Yeah, after what happened last year I’m keeping a better eye on it so none of you houligans get out of control.” Pete replied. 

“Pretty ironic considering you were the one who usually spiked it.” 

“Guilty as charged.” Pete held up his hands in surrender. “Alright I gotta circulate, catch you later.”   
He was gone before Patrick even remembered to give him his gift. 

He talked to Andy some more, then found Joe trying to flirt with a girl in sales. It was getting later and Patrick was about ready to head home when he spotted Pete slipping out the front door, Patrick followed him out.   
Pete was standing on the sidewalk watching the parking lot. It was cold out and Patrick hugged his jacket closer to him as he walked over. 

“Hey man, what are you doing out here?” Patrick asked as he reached him. 

Pete turned to face him and smiled. “Hey Patrick, I’m just getting some air. There’s only so many times a man can hear ‘Last Christmas’ before he goes crazy.” 

Patrick laughed, “Yeah, maybe next time Brendon shouldn’t DJ.” 

“Maybe you could, you like music right?” Patrick blushed, 

“Yeah, I mean I play music a lot. How did you know that?” 

“Joe told me.” Pete shrugged with a sheepish grin. 

Patrick looked at his feet and shuffled his feet awkwardly. Remembering why he came out here in the first place he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the gift. 

“Um, I was your secret santa but I kinda forgot about it...so yeah…,” Partick held the bag out to Pete.   
Pete took it and inspected the tie, pressing the button on the back to make it light up. 

“Dude this is cool!” Pete said, smiling. 

“You don’t have pretend it's anything extraordinary.” 

“Wow, Patrick, this is a sorta shitty gift.” Pete teased, big smile still on his face. Patrick rolled his eyes, playing along. Then Pete’s face turned more serious. 

“Partick, I have to talk to you about something.”

Oh no, Patrick hoped he wasn't about to get fired for giving his boss a bad secret santa gift. 

“I rigged secret santa.” 

Patrick was not expecting that. “Wait what? Why?” 

“I told Joe to tell you I was your secret santa no matter who you picked.” 

“Ok...why did you do that?”

“Because Patrick! I thought it was a good way to get you to notice me, I try and talk to you at your desk but your always hard at work like your life depends on selling our shitty product!” 

“You’re the boss of course I always work when your around!” Patrick exclaimed. 

Pete tilted his head in consideration. “Yeah I get it now.” He looked down at the tie and then back at Patrick, a sly grin on his face. 

“To be honest, Patrick, the thing I want most for Christmas is you.”

“God that's such a cheesy pick up line.” Patrick blushed. 

“Yeah but you liked it.” Pete smiled and shifted closer. 

“So what if I did?”  
Pete leaned in, bringing one of his hands to touch Patricks face. Patrick met him halfway and smiled into the warmth of the kiss. They broke apart when Patrick heard the door open and turned to see Joe standing in the doorway grinning.   
“I’m taking all the credit for this.”


End file.
